♡ TL: Khadija SK
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Jin-ah’s eyelids trembled slightly, and moisture formed. Soon, it gathered into droplets and rolled down her cheeks. Without realizing it, he wiped it away with his lips.
As his lips brushed her eyes and cheeks, Jin-ah murmured,
“Mom…”
Then, she stretched out her arms and hugged his neck.
“…”
He stopped moving. Until now, everything that faced him had always been consumed by fear. No matter how much he controlled their consciousness, the fear toward him never changed.
That’s why, as his control began to weaken, they always squirmed in their subconscious, trying to escape somehow.
But hugging him?
He hesitated for a moment, looking at her face.
“Mom?”
It seemed to be a foreign word mixed with the blood of Troll. He didn’t understand the word, but he could guess its meaning. It was probably a word used to call one’s mother.
Many humans called out for their mothers in their final moments of life. He thought this might be one of those cases. A bitter smile formed on his face, but instead of baring his teeth, he simply stared at Jin-ah, who was shedding tears endlessly.
Before another tear could fall, he quickly licked it away. It tasted different from blood.
Unlike blood, tears didn’t require him to force them out; they kept flowing on their own. So he continued licking Jin-ah’s cheeks nonstop.
After crying for a long time, she finally grew silent again. Watching her, he picked up Jin-ah’s bathrobe and dressed her in it, just as he had first seen her. He also pulled the blanket back over her.
His gaze swept over Jin-ah. His tongue darted out, licking his lips repeatedly.
She was delicious. And interesting.
It felt like a waste to devour her all at once. Perhaps he could keep her alive a little longer, savoring everything she shed before consuming her.
Among all the humans he had encountered since emerging from the darkness, she was the only one who stirred both his hatred and fascination so intensely.
Standing beside the bed, he lowered his head to meet Jin-ah’s face.
“Jin-ah Troll.”
His lips touched her forehead.
“You were delicious.”
Imitating the greetings exchanged by humans from the memories he had swallowed, he turned his body. He left, and the door slowly closed behind him.
With a clicking sound, the locks automatically engaged, and the latch Jin-ah had fastened from the inside clicked into place, as if no one had ever entered the room. Everything returned to its original state.
***
“Ugh…”
Jin-ah let out a faint groan as she regained consciousness.
In her dream, someone had entered the room where she was sleeping. The person climbed on top of her and whispered incomprehensible words.
From that moment, her consciousness fell completely into darkness. It felt like swimming in black ink, not knowing where up or down was, or where to go. In the overwhelming darkness, her body gradually lost strength.
Just when she thought she might die like this, she unconsciously called out for her mother.
“Oh, damn…”
Jin-ah buried her face in her hands.
It had been a long time since she had woken up feeling this awful after a dream.
After keeping her eyes closed for a long while, she lowered her hands. Bright light was pouring into the room. It was a rare sunny day in the winter of London.
Blinking a few times, she suddenly remembered that her original room was a gloomy corner room where morning sunlight never entered. She shot up in alarm.
“Ugh!”
At the same time, a sharp headache and severe pain radiated throughout her body. Groaning from the pain, Jin-ah clutched her head.
‘Where is this? Why am I here…?’
“Oh.”
Memories came flooding back, and she closed her eyes for a moment. Unreal scenes flashed through her mind.
The 14th floor. The chaotic sights.
The man who attacked her. The syringe. And Ian Aylesford.
“It wasn’t… just a dream, was it?”
Of course not. If all of it had been a dream, she wouldn’t be in such a luxurious room right now. Jin-ah touched her throbbing head.
“Huh?”
The bandages the staff had carefully wrapped around her head yesterday were gone, leaving only her hair. Looking around, she spotted the bandages haphazardly lying next to the pillow.
“What the hell? Why are they undone?”
They had been securely tied. But now, they were a mess, as if someone had deliberately untied them.
“Did they come loose while I was sleeping…?”
But she had never had such a bad sleeping habit before. Then, recalling the dream from last night, she thought it might be possible.
Hadn’t she been struggling desperately in the darkness, robbed of light and freedom with just a single incomprehensible word?
As she reached to touch the back of her head, Jin-ah winced at the aches in her arms, back, and waist. Every spot Jeremy had kicked the day before throbbed painfully.
“Bastard.”
Groaning and checking her injuries, Jin-ah suddenly frowned.
“What’s that smell?”
A strange scent was emanating from her body. From her cheeks, her arms, and… Jin-ah hurriedly removed her bathrobe.
Her chest was oddly red and swollen. When she touched it to investigate—
“Ah!”
A sharp sensation spread from her chest to her entire body, startling her into freezing momentarily. Looking over herself in confusion, Jin-ah noticed red marks all over her chest.
It looked as though someone had sucked on her chest throughout the night. And the unfamiliar scent was strongest there.
‘Could it be that someone…!’
As that thought crossed her mind, Jin-ah jumped up and hurried to the door. The lock was still fastened exactly as she had left it the night before.
“Phew…”
Seeing the firmly locked door, Jin-ah let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that the events of the previous day had left her feeling persistently uneasy.
However, even after confirming that no one had entered, the strange smell emanating from her body remained.
‘Did I do something weird after getting drunk?’
But there was nothing in the room that could produce such a smell.
Setting aside the smell, the red marks on her body were baffling. Then her eyes caught a small whiskey bottle discarded in the trash can.
“Did drinking something I usually don’t drink cause this…?”
She wondered if that could explain the sudden rash-like marks.
Scratching her head in confusion, Jin-ah quickly headed to the bathroom to wash up. Thankfully, the marks didn’t seem to be spreading. She figured they would fade away as the alcohol wore off.
Taking care to avoid letting water touch her wounds, she managed to wash up with some difficulty. As soon as she stepped out of the bathroom, the phone in her room began to ring.
“Yes, this is Jina Troll.”
—You’re awake, I see.
It was the general manager who had called.
—As promised yesterday, I’ve scheduled your hospital appointment. The address is…
Jin-ah hurriedly jotted down the address the manager recited. After providing the hospital information, the manager explained that the agreed compensation would be paid in three installments. Before he could hang up, Jin-ah quickly interjected.
“And about work today…”
—Your contract was officially terminated as of yesterday.
“Don’t forget the seasonal bonus, please.”
—…Of course.
After a brief hesitation, the general manager replied, though Jin-ah could guess what he must have thought in that moment.
He probably thought she was just a money-crazed woman. But what could she do? At this point, she had to claim everything she could.
Jin-ah used an app to order clothes. Paying an extra fee ensured the delivery would arrive at the hotel within an hour.
Thinking about how convenient life was when you had money, she swept the remaining miniature bottles of liquor from the minibar into her bag. They were valuable too, after all.
An hour later, dressed in the clothes she had ordered, Jin-ah stepped out into the hotel lobby. The general manager was standing there. When he saw her, he acknowledged her with a slight nod but said nothing else.
Next to him stood the staff member who had been by the elevator on the 14th floor the previous night.
Staring at them with a look of disgust, as though nothing had happened, Jin-ah walked straight out.
As she exited through the door leading to the Thames riverside walkway, the cold wind brushed against her cheeks. Normally, she would have shivered, complaining about the chill, but today, the crisp air felt incredibly refreshing.
While sitting on the bench, forgetting about the cold, a person walking their dog happened to pass by. Out of habit, Jin-ah smiled at the dog and was about to compliment it.
Whimper.
The large dog, which had been moving closer to Jin-ah, suddenly sniffed the air, tucked its tail, and hid behind its owner.
“Oh my, that’s not like him,” the owner said, surprised by the reaction of their usually sociable dog that would eagerly approach anyone. They left quickly, looking perplexed.
Jin-ah was equally confused. She wondered if she had done something to seem threatening. While she was still feeling awkward, another dog walked by. The moment its eyes met hers:
Whimper. Whimperrrrr.
This dog reacted even more intensely than the previous one, desperately trying to flee from Jin-ah. Its reaction was so extreme that the owner lost grip of the leash, and the dog bolted away.
Watching the owner frantically chase after their dog, calling its name, Jin-ah felt puzzled. Then, she suddenly remembered the strange smell she’d noticed when she woke up that morning.
“It doesn’t seem to be there anymore,” she muttered.
Having scrubbed herself thoroughly earlier, her body now only carried the scent of the hotel’s bath products. But perhaps it was different for the dogs?
She lowered her nose to her arm, sniffing, when suddenly:
Buzzz!
Her phone began vibrating in her bag. She looked at the screen—it was another unfamiliar number. This time, however, it had a London area code.
“Is it the hospital?”
The general manager had mentioned that the hospital would call in the morning to discuss availability and confirm her appointment. Feeling at ease, Jin-ah answered the phone.
“Yes, this is Jin-ah Troll…”
“Miss Jina Troll?”
A dry and sharp voice came from the other end.
“This is Inspector Haywood from the London Metropolitan Police. I’m calling to verify some information with you.”
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